Sancia Grado is a top-notch thief. Her next job is at a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne's docks. Unbeknownst to her, she has been sent to steal an artefact with unimaginable power that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses control magic, but they want to discover the artefact's secrets for their own purposes. Someone in those houses wants Sancia dead. She will have to make shocking alliances and learn how to use the artefact's power to survive.